Very interesting and well done explanation of the aqcuisition and processing of iron ore which I found fascinating and informative. I knew taconite looked like rabbit leavin's but never knew how it got that way. I don't know if its the moustache but was that Clark Gable doing all the talking?

But for one reason or another, today, half of those shops shown in those towns are now liquor stores or saloons and that part of Minnesota (like Upper Michigan) have hence become welfare states with more drunks per sq mile than almost anywhere in the US - including Indian Reservations. Maybe the lack of steel mills to take that stuff to had something to do with it.

And on that note, see the first table they pan over in the "fancy eatin room" (before they land and begin describing the family groups) and note that the kids have bottles of beer in front of them. Whoops.

Love the closeup of the ride we used to call the "puke machine" - the one with the two tapered cylinders that go in a circle and rotate as they do. Never seen anybody get off of that ride without subsequently sticking their head in a waste container.

This probably would have been a pretty boring little film for me except that it turns out the town of Hibbing is featured begining at around minute 6 and shows a view of the towns main street and the Hull Rust Mahoning Mine which is there in Hibbing. Hibbing is the hometown of the musician Bob Dylan. I found that really interesting as there's not alot of info available on the small town especially from around that time. I'm guessing young Bob must've been around 11 years old then and his father owned an electrical appliance store there.

Quite interesting overview of why Iron ore is sooo important to Minnesotans. An interesting prologue and genesis to this story is set during a county fair setting (with scary looking rides). An anncountant is there with his family, which the narrarator says "Has forgotten for now, the ledgers piled high on his desk" Same goes for the salesman and his family. I guess they need to be totally free of mind for the Iron Ore guy, who goes on and on during a lunch time chat about why Iron ore is so important for Minnesota that the women can't stand it, but all the men are rapt in attention. After all, accounting can take a break, but iron ore can't! From here we see a pretty good overview of how Iron ore is taken out of The Land and used. I guess during this time there was great concern about the lack of quality iron ore left in the strip mines and about the weather concerns. Iron Ore guy brushes those concerns off, and tells us even if there isn't high quality ore left, there's always the MEDIUM quiality ore. Very interesting artificact to be sure.